Shoe stiffener and method of making it



Aug. 2l, 1928.

F. RICKS SHOE STIFFENER AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Filed NOV. 6. 1922 Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT ori-Ica FRED HICKS, OI' LEICESTER, ENGIlAND, ASSIGNOR T0 'UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

SHVOE STIFFENER-AND METHOD OF MAKING IT.

Application tiled November 6, 1922. Serial No. 599,413, and in Great Britain December 6, 1921. I

This invention relates to stieners for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes and t0 a method of making them; and is hereln set forth in connection with a stiifener containng a Substance which is normall stii but ma be rendered temporarily so t and pliable y the application of a suitable agent.

A stiifener of this general type is shown and described in the patent to Beckwith No. 1,124,835, the ,patented stilfener comprislng a substance which is normally stiff but may be rendered temporarily soft and pllable by the application of heat, the purpose pf' softening the stiiener being to ermlt 1t to be pulled over and lasted with t e upper.

In order to romote brevity, the resent invention will explained with re erence to a box toe and a particular type of shoe. In the manufacture of so-called soft-toed shoes, which haverno toe cap or tip, 1t is particularly desirable to secure a gradual lending, in point of resiliency or phability, vp

between the stiiened toe portion and the upper adjacent the toe portion so that no sharply defined ridge shall be visible 1n the inishedshoe or become evident after the shoe has been worn. To this end box toes have been thinned down along what may be termed ltheir rear margins, but nevertheless, when a box toe like that of the Beckwithpatent is used, the desired result 1s not attamed, it being probable that the hardness of the stiii'ening substance is such that, even with the most careful formation of the box toe blank, `too sudden a change in pliability isx preesnt in the shoe at the locality in which the stitfener terminates.

According too the resent invention. a stiffener is provided havlng a body portion which contains a readily softened stiffening substancev and a thinner margin which contains substantially no stifening substance. Such a stiiener may be made, for example, by

preparing a composite blank one member o which is normally stiff but may be softened and the other of which is normally flexible, and removing the margin of the first-named member so as to produce a finished stiz'ener the margin of which is thinner than' the body portion thereof. l

Referring now to the accompanying drawig. 1 is a plan view of a box toe particularly adapted for incorporation in soft-toed shoes;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a section through the toe portion of a shoe showing the box toe incorporated therein.

The illustrative box toe consists of a layer ofsheet material 5 impregnated with a stillenlng substance such as the mixture of Montan Wax and asphalt described in the patent superposed upon and attached to a layer of sheet material T which contains substantialllcy no stiiiening substance and is normally exible, the box toe being skived at least alon its rear, concavely curved mar 'n in suc manner that the extreme bevele mar n of the box toe consists 0f material which 1s normally exible. The illustrated box toe is shown as havin its entire margin beveled, this being desira le in order to facilitate the ulling-over and lastin operations and to reduce the bulk of materlal which lies underneath the margin of the insole of the shoe.

The illustrated box toe may conveniently be made in the following manner A sheet of absorbent material such as felt or the like 1s first impregnated with the molten stiifening substance in the manner described in the l' patent and is then su erposed upon and ate tached to a backing w ich may be felt or the like, but contains no stiiening substance.,

The union may be effected by heat and pressure alone 0r a suitable cement may be used.

' In any event, the composite sheet thus formed f terial. The box toe is highly flexible alon its rear margin so that the desired gradua blending of the stiifened and unstifened portions of the shoe vmay be secured. The box toe may be inserted in the, shoe with either the impregnated layer or the unim regnated The scarf is so made that it extends layer outermost. In Fig. 3 the atter ar- I.

rangement is shown, the purpose being to do away with the necessity which might `otherwise exist of inserting between the box toe and the upper an intermediate protective layer to prevent stiffening material exuding from the blank from Idiscoloring or otherwise injuring the upper when the toe portion of the shoe is heated to render it workable.

Although the invention has been set forth with reference to a particular stiffening member and method of manufacturing it, it should be understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application to the particular stiflening member or to the particular method except as appears in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. The method of making a toe stiflener for boots and shoes which consists in preparing a composite blank one member of which is normally stiff but may be rendered flexible by the application of a suitable agent which has no injurious effect upon leather and the other of which is normally flexible, and removing a margin of the first-named member so as to produce a'finished stiffener a margin of which is composed of material which is normally flexible and is thinner than the body portion of the stiffener.

2. The method of making a stiffener for boots and shoes which consists in impregnating sheet material with a substance which is stiff at ordinary temperatures but ma be rendered flexible by the application of eat, and treating the product so as to obtain a finished stiffener having a beveled margin which is substantially free from the stiffening substance.

3. The method of making a stiffener for boots and shoes which consists in preparing a composite blank one member of which. is stiff at ordinary temperatures but may be rendered flexible by the application of heat and the other of which is flexible at ordinary temperatures, and beveling the composite blank by severing and removing a portion of it in such manner that the outer portion of the beveled margin consists of material which is flexible at ordinary temperatures.

4. The method of making a stifl'ener for boots and shoes which consists in impregnating a sheet of material with a substance which is stiff at ordinary temperatures but may be rendered flexible by the application of heat, uniting to the impregnated sheet a sheet of material which is flexible at ordinary temperatures, cutting from the composite sheet a composite stiflener blank, and skiving the blank.

5. The method of making a stiffener for boots and shoes which consists in impregnating a sheet of material with a substance which is stiff at ordinary temperatures but may be rendered flexible by the ap lication of heat, uniting to the impregnate sheet a sheet of material which is flexible at ordinary temperatures, cutting from the composite sheet a composite stiffener blank, and skiving the blank so as to produce thereon a beveled margin the inner portion of which is stiffened by the substance and the outer portion of which is not stiffened.

6. A box toe stiffener having a margin which is adapted to be lasted under the toe portion of the insole of a shoe, and a margin having an kedge which is adapted to extend across the toe of the shoe beneath the upper thereof, the body portion of the stiffener being stiff at ordinary temperatures but capable of being rendered flexible by the application of a degree of heat which is not injurious to leather, and the last-named margin being beveled and having an outer portion which is flexible at ordinary temperatures and remains flexible in the finished shoe.

7. A box toe stiffener having a margin which is adapted to be lasted under the toe portion of the insole of a shoe, and a margin having a concavely curved edge which is adapted to extend across the toe of the shoe beneath the upper thereof, the body portion of the stiffener being stiff at ordinary temperatures but capable of being rendered flexible by the application of heat, and the lastnamed margin being beveled and having an outer portion which is flexible at ordinary temperatures.

8. A stiffener for boots and shoes comprising a layer of absorbent material impregnated with a substance which is stiff at ordinary temperatures but may be softened by the application of heat superposed upon a layer of unimpregnated material, the former layer having a smaller outline than the latter and being formed with a beveled margin.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FRED RICKS. 

